xDSL connection monitor

ABSTRACT

A system and method of maintaining communication between a computer and a server, the server being in communication with the computer via xDSL service or dial-up modem service, with xDSL service being the default mode of communication, the method including sending a request to the server via xDSL service to which the server should respond and determining if a response has been received. If no response has been received, displaying on the computer a message (i) indicating that xDSL service has failed and (ii) offering to establish communication between the computer and the server via the dial-up modem, and thereafter changing the default mode of communication between the computer and the server to dial-up modem service. In a preferred embodiment, an xDSL service provider monitors dial-up modem communications and determines if the computer dialing in normally establishes communication with the server via xDSL service. The xDSL service provider can thus quickly and easily detect xDSL failures.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to methods and systems for providingInternet access. More particularly, the present invention is directed tomonitoring the status or availability of Internet access that isprovided to a user via digital subscriber line (DSL) service.

2. Background of the Invention

The use of the Internet has grown so quickly over the past several yearsthat even home Internet users and small businesses are now demandinghigher speed and higher bandwidth connections from their InternetService Providers (ISPs). There have been several different responses tothis demand: (i) cable television providers have deployed cable modemsthat provide Internet connectivity via existing cable televisioninfrastructure, (ii) satellite communications providers have configuredsatellites to operate as segments of high speed wireless networks toboost Internet connection speed and (iii) telephone companies havebecome ISPs by implementing digital subscriber line (DSL) service usingthe existing copper telephone wire network. Of these three responses,DSL is quickly becoming the most popular consumer choice for Internetconnectivity. Several kinds of DSL service, collectively referred to asxDSL services, are being increasingly offered by local telephonecompanies. Asymmetrical DSL (ADSL), for example, is one well-known formof xDSL service that has become popular among xDSL service providers andusers, customers or subscribers.

A significant advantage to employing xDSL service is that almost everyhousehold that might be interested in obtaining Internet access isalready a part of the local telephone network and thus has connectivitywith a telephone company via conventional copper “twisted pair”telephone wiring. Accordingly, except for a new modem, no additionalhome wiring or infrastructure is required.

Another advantage to using xDSL for Internet connectivity is that one'sInternet access is “always-on.” This is in contrast to conventionaldial-up modem Internet access which requires a set-up procedure eachtime Internet access is desired.

Because xDSL access is presumably “always-on,” not surprisingly, usersexpect this to be the case at all times. In reality, however, xDSLservice may go down from time to time due to network failures. Networkcomponents that may be susceptible to failure include cables, routers,and digital subscriber line access multiplexers (DSLAMs). Thesecomponents are typically located between the user's DSL modem and thexDSL service provider's Domain Naming System (DNS) server which, itself,is connected to an Internet backbone such as UUNET. Further, softwarethat runs some of these network components can also cause unexpectedfailures.

Surprisingly, a user of xDSL service may not immediately become awarethat his Internet access has been cut off. Indeed, many people who areonly casual users of the Internet do not understand the complexities ofelectronic networks and would not necessarily know if or why theirInternet connection has failed. All that is known is that they cannot“surf” the world wide web, download files, or send or receive email viathe Internet. The sudden realization that Internet access has failed canbe very frustrating to a user.

Further, when xDSL service outages occur, users may call their xDSLprovider to report the outage and demand that Internet access berestored as quickly as possible. While such calls are helpful to thexDSL provider to the extent that network outages can be identified,these calls are also taxing on the xDSL provider in that operators mustbe employed to field and manage calls from customers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system for (i) notifying auser that his xDSL service has failed and (ii) automatically offeringthe user the option of employing a conventional dial-up modem accessingthe Internet. In accordance with the present invention, the user isimmediately, or preemptively, notified of an xDSL failure such that heis no longer unexpectedly confronted by a failure of his Internetaccess, and is offered back-up access to the Internet. Accordingly,because users will then be less likely to call their xDSL serviceprovider to report problems, the xDSL provider can employ fewer customerservice representatives to field such calls.

Under the present invention, by automatically offering the option ofaccessing the Internet via dial-up modem, the user, customer orsubscriber is given the opportunity to access the Internet, albeit atsomewhat lower speed, while his primary access via xDSL service is down.This is an important advantage of the present invention, because manyusers of xDSL services do not even know that they can access theInternet using their dial-up modem can still be utilized.

Also, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the xDSLservice provider is also automatically notified that a user who normallyuses xDSL service has just used a dial-up modem to access the Internet.With this information, the xDSL provider can efficiently track networkoutages without having to field customer calls. For example, a troubleticket can be generated for the appropriate network administrator orserviceperson indicating that xDSL service for a particular account isout of service.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a request to which aresponse is expected is automatically and periodically sent from auser's computer using his xDSL service. The request is preferablydirected to the xDSL service provider's Domain Naming System (DNS)server. It is next determined if a response to the request issubsequently received. If no response is received, it is assumed thatthe user's xDSL service has failed since xDSL service is expected to be“always on.” A notification message is then displayed on the user'scomputer indicating that his xDSL service is “temporarily down.”

The notification message also preferably gives the user the option ofaccessing the Internet via a dial-up modem while his xDSL service isdown. When the user does access the Internet via dial-up modem, the xDSLprovider (using customer account information, for example) determinesthat this particular user normally accesses the Internet via xDSL. ThexDSL provider can then track network outages and quickly resolve suchoutages without having to employ telephone operators to field calls fromusers.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, when it isdetermined that xDSL service has gone down, then the dial-up modem isautomatically, i.e., without user intervention, used to access the ISP'sDNS server. In this way, the failure of xDSL service can be promptlydetected by the ISP even if the user is not operating his computer.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the “request” thatis sent is a “ping” request or command that is directed to apredetermined Internet Protocol (IP) address. Most preferably, the IPaddress is that of a DNS server of the xDSL provider, although other IPaddresses may be used.

Aspects of the present invention are preferably implemented usingsoftware, e.g., an applet (a relatively small software application),that resides on the user's computer. It is this software that causes therequests to be sent periodically. In a preferred implementation, thesoftware is operable at all times, i.e., it is an active program runningwithin a multi-tasking operating system such as Microsoft Windows 2000,UNIX or Linux. The software can be stored on a computer's hard drive,incorporated in firmware or stored using a combination of these storagemethods.

From the xDSL service provider's perspective, the present inventionprovides a system and method for monitoring xDSL service failures bymonitoring customer use of dial-up modems instead of xDSL service. As aresult, the xDSL service provider can quickly and accurately identifyxDSL service failures and mobilize the necessary personnel or resourcesto resolve the problem.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a methodand system for notifying a user that his xDSL service is down.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a methodand system for notifying a user of the status of his xDSL Internetaccess.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a softwareapplication that periodically attempts communication via the Internetover xDSL and continuously runs in the background of a multi-taskingoperating system.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method andsystem for notifying a user that his Internet access via xDSL servicehas been restored.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a method andsystem for offering to a user of xDSL service the option of connectingto the Internet via a dial-up modem when the user's xDSL service isdown.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a methodand system for tracking xDSL service outages by monitoring the use ofdial-up modem in lieu of xDSL service.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparentupon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a network topology including thelocation of an applet (software) for implementing aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a preferred embodiment of the appletof the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a preferred embodiment of an xDSLservice provider process in accordance with the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a system and method for monitoringa user's xDSL connection and notifying the user when his xDSL connectionfails. The present invention also provides a system and method fornotifying the user when his xDSL connection has been restored. At thetime the user's xDSL connection fails, the user preferably is offered toemploy a conventional dial-up modem for accessing the Internet by beingprompted by, for example, a pop-up window. If the user chooses to accessthe Internet via his dial-up modem, then the xDSL serviceprovider/Internet service provider (ISP) preferably detects that thisuser normally accesses the Internet via xDSL service and, for example,automatically generates a trouble ticket indicating that the xDSLservice via which the user normally accesses the Internet has failed. Inan alternative embodiment, which is particularly useful when theeffected user is not present, the user's computer automatically enablesthe dial-up modem to access the Internet. By capturing and storing oneor even several trouble tickets indicative of apparent xDSL servicefailures, the xDSL service provider/ISP can obtain a high level view ofits xDSL network and quickly detect and correct instances of failure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a network topology including theidentification of an applet 170 for implementing aspects of the presentinvention. A personal computer (PC) 100 includes a dial-up modem 110connected to a telephone line 115. PC 100 is connected to xDSL modem 120in the conventional manner. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat xDSL modem 120 can be a stand-alone device (as shown), can beincorporated directly into PC 100 or can be incorporated into, forexample, a router (not shown). A conventional telephone 130 is shownconnected to xDSL modem 120. Those skilled in the art will appreciatethat xDSL service implementation might also require a splitter (notshown) to effect connection of telephone 130 and PC 100 via xDSL modem120. xDSL modem 120 is connected to, typically, a telephone company'scentral office (CO) 140 and other telephone network components by coppertelephone wires 125. While not shown, CO 140 and other telephone networkcomponents might include, for example, one or more digital subscriberline access multiplexers (DSLAMs), routers and cabling.

CO 140 is connected to the xDSL service provider's Domain Naming System(DNS) server 150 which, in turn, is connected to an electronic network160, such as the Internet.

Experience has shown that when xDSL service fails, the failure typicallyoccurs somewhere between the user's xDSL modem and a DNS server. Ofcourse, it is also possible that the DNS server itself might fail. Thus,even if a user's PC 100 and xDSL modem 120 are operating normally, theuser's xDSL service might not be available. However, since xDSL serviceis an “always on” service, the user might not necessarily know when, orif, his xDSL service has become unavailable, i.e., has failed or gonedown. The present invention provides the user with information that hisxDSL service has indeed failed as well as when it has been restored.Accordingly, the present invention removes some of the frustrating“guess work” that users (and especially non-expert users) must endurewhen it appears that their Internet connection is not functioning.

An aspect of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 as applet 170,which is stored in PC 100. The applet may be stored on a hard drive ofPC 100 or may be stored as firmware in PC 100. Alternatively, applet 170may be stored in PC 100 via a combination of these two methods. As willbe explained in more detail below, applet 170 periodically andautomatically attempts to access DNS server 150 via xDSL service. Ifapplet 170 fails to receive a response from DNS server 150 then it isassumed that the xDSL service for that particular user must have failed.In such a case, and in accordance with the present invention, applet 170displays a message for a user indicating that the user's xDSL service ispresently or “temporarily” out of order. Since applet 170 preferablycontinues its periodic attempt to contact DNS server 150, as soon asapplet 170 receives a response from DNS server 150, a message isdisplayed for the user that his xDSL service has been restored.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a preferred embodiment of applet 170.At step 200, applet 170 preferably issues a ping command to DNS server150 via xDSL modem 120. That is, applet 170 attempts to contact DNSserver 150 with a request using the user's xDSL service. The well-knownping command is used as a request since such a request requires verylittle bandwith and is responded to by the destination (in this case DNSserver 150) very quickly. At step 205 it is determined whether there hasbeen a response to the ping command. If no response has been receivedthen, at step 210, it is assumed that xDSL service has failed and amessage is then displayed for the user in the form of, for example, apop-up window indicating that the user's xDSL is out of service.Immediately thereafter, or in conjunction with the pop-up window of step210, a dialogue box is displayed as indicated at step 220. This dialoguebox includes a query to the user asking him if he would like to connectto the Internet via dial-up modem. This dialogue box preferably includesbuttons that may be enabled via an “enter” key or a mouse, as isconventional. If the user decides not to connect via dial-up modem (step225) he may “click” an associated “no” button within the dialogue box(not shown), which preferably removes the dialogue box from the screen.In such a case, the delay of step 275 may be implemented, which ispreferably longer than the delay of step 250 (described below), e.g., 30minutes to 10 hours. Thus, even though the user has been made aware thathis xDSL service has failed and also been made aware that he may accessthe Internet via dial-up modem, he may nevertheless choose not to accessthe Internet at that time.

On the other hand, if the user chooses to connect via dial-up modem inview of the failure of his xDSL service and his desire to access theInternet, he preferably “clicks” a “yes” button within the dialogue box(not shown).

If the user does choose to connect via dial-up modem, applet 170 of thepresent invention preferably changes the default modem setting in theoperating system of PC 100 from xDSL modem 120 to dial-up modem 110.Changing the default modem can be accomplished using the “dial-upnetworking” selection features of an operating system such as Windows95, manufactured by Microsoft Corporation. Applet 170 preferablyautomatically displays the appropriate window(s) for choosing a dial-upmodem.

Then, at step 230, the user connects to the Internet via his dial-upmodem. At step 240, upon the end of the user's session on the Internet,applet 170 preferably resets the default modem to xDSL modem 120. Theprocess then passes to step 250 where there is a one to ten minutedelay, for example, after which the process begins again at step 200. Ofcourse, delay 250 can be set to any desired length of time that willgive the user useful information concerning the availability of his xDSLservice.

If a response to the ping command is received at step 205, at step 260it is determined whether on the previous iteration of step 205 aresponse was received. That is, it is determined whether xDSL servicewas down on the previous iteration through step 205. If not, the processcontinues with step 250. Those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthe loop comprising steps 200, 205, 260, and 250 can be considered a“steady-state” of applet 170. That is, assuming xDSL service isoperating normally, applet 170 will continue to loop through these foursteps as long as the xDSL service continues to operate normally.

If at step 260 xDSL service was previously down, then at step 270 amessage is displayed for the user indicating that his xDSL service isnow restored. Again, the process continues with step 250. Like themessage display of step 210, the message display of 270 can also be inthe form of a pop-up window.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, applet 170 isimplemented in software using well-known high level languages such as C,C++, or Visual Basic. The source code itself or an executable version ofthe source code can be stored on PC 100 via hard drive and/or firmware.Further, applet 170 is preferably accessible by an operating system ofPC 100 such that when PC 100 is first booted, applet 170 isautomatically launched and thereafter performs its iterative processuntil PC 100 is subsequently shut down. Such techniques are well-knownto those skilled in the art.

What has been described so far is how the present invention isbeneficial from an xDSL user's perspective. However, the presentinvention is also advantageous from the xDSL service provider's point ofview. Specifically, by proactively offering the user, customer orsubscriber the option of using his dial-up modem to access the Internet,the user, while possibly upset that his relatively fast xDSL connectionis temporarily not available, is nevertheless given the opportunity toaccess the Internet. Thus, the customer is not precluded from accessingthe Internet when xDSL service fails and will therefore likely remainsatisfied with his overall level of service.

More importantly, however, when a user who normally accesses theInternet via xDSL service suddenly uses a dial-up modem to access DNSserver 150, the service provider can assess the “health” of its xDSLservice. Specifically, and referring to FIG. 3, at step 300 DNS server150 receives a dial-up request from a user. Then, at step 305, DNSserver 150 (or an associated computer) looks up account informationrelevant to the user that has just dialed in. The user can be identifiedby user name and/or password that is often required in order to access adial-up account. Techniques for accessing relevant databases for thispurpose are well-known to those skilled in the art. At step 310 it isdetermined from that account information whether the customer who hasjust dialed-in normally accesses the Internet via xDSL service. If not,the process ends at step 315.

However, if the user that has just dialed-in normally accesses DNSserver 150 via xDSL service, then at step 320 a trouble ticket, forexample, preferably is generated that indicates that there is a likelyfailure in the xDSL service that this particular user normally uses.This trouble ticket is preferably then passed to the appropriatepersonnel for action. At step 325, the trouble ticket is stored and thenat step 330 an email may be generated and sent to the customer/usernotifying him that the failure of his xDSL service has been detected andwill be corrected as soon as possible. The customer will receive thisemail via his dial-up connection. Alternatively, or in addition, thepop-up window that is displayed to the user at step 210 and/or step 220(FIG. 2) can include a “canned” message that the xDSL failure has beendetected and is being corrected by the xDSL service provider.

If several customers who normally use xDSL service suddenly begin usingtheir dial-up modems to reach DNS server 150, then the xDSL serviceprovider can quickly detect a failure in the xDSL service and quicklymobilize the appropriate personnel to correct the problem. Further, asmore and more trouble tickets are stored, the xDSL service provider cansubject those trouble tickets to a “data mining” process in which it canbe determined, for example, the times at which xDSL service tends tofail as well as, based on the resolution of the failures, the type ofequipment that experiences the most failures. Such data can be valuableto a telecommunications provider as a means to improve its service.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than waiting for the user to chooseto access the Internet via his dial-up modem, applet 170 automaticallychanges the default communications port of the computer to the dial-upmodem and automatically initiates a call to, e.g., the DNS server.Accordingly, even if the user is not using his computer, the xDSLservice provider/ISP will learn that xDSL service has failed and willthus be able to respond to the problem on a more timely basis. Ofcourse, applet 170 can also be configured such that the automaticdial-up modem implementation occurs only during certain times of theday, e.g., overnight or during the weekend. Preferably, use of thedial-up modem under these automatic circumstances is brief in order notto disrupt the normal use of the telephone line.

Thus, not only does the present invention provide helpful information tothe user of xDSL service, but the xDSL service provider also benefitsfrom the instant invention.

While the present invention has been described as sending a ping commandto DNS server 150, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand thatapplet 170 can be programmed to ping any terminal equipment that mighthave an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Indeed, it is within the scopeof the present invention that applet 170 can attempt, at step 200, toaccess a website via a browser rather than issuing a ping command.Further, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the networktopology illustrated in FIG. 1, but could be implemented in any numberof network topologies as will be appreciated by those skilled in theart.

The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations andmodifications of the embodiments described herein will be obvious to oneof ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. The scopeof the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto,and by their equivalents.

1. A method of monitoring the availability of Internet access via xDSLservice, comprising the steps of: (a) sending a request from a usercomputer via xDSL service to which a response is expected; (b)determining if a response has been received; and (c) if no response hasbeen received, displaying a message on the computer indicating that xDSLis out of service. 2-45. (canceled)